Chris Clark is an information/technology consultant who showcases her expertise and passion on the subject of commercial real estate technology through her highly regarded blog, CREOutsider. Chris's candid writing style and distinct perspective on the sector have helped to build CREOutsider into an industry mainstay, and we deeply value her insights as a member of the CRE App Advisory Board.

What's the most exciting trend you are seeing currently in CRE Tech?

Chris: Brokerages are finally stepping up and upgrading and integrating their back-end systems with front (agent) facing interfaces that provide more value to agents.

How do you discover new tech products in the industry?

Chris: I read CRE tech blogs for industry specific products. Also, I read general tech sites for products that might be useful to agents or brokerages and to get a pulse on what other industries are doing and whether it’s a trend CRE needs to know about.

What are some of your favorite commercial real estate technology products you use on a daily basis?

Chris: I’m not an agent, but I work with brokerage back-end systems – databases and servers. The database front-end/software is CRE specific, so I’m using that all the time.

What’s the one area of CRE Tech you wish you had a great product for?

Chris: CRE needs better marketing platforms. A residential type comprehensive national listing site would be good – or maybe it’s time to go in a new direction. Unlike homebuyers, users are not so homogeneous.

What advice would you give to a real estate professional that is making their first foray into the CRE tech scene?

Chris: Pay attention to the tools and services the brokerage offers. A good brokerage will provide marketing services/tools, mapping software, transaction analysis, data subscriptions that are typically better quality than what agents can find/purchase on their own. Also, figure out how you want to organize your communications, documents and contact management – how/if you want them to all work together, how easy it would be to migrate, how you actually like to do things.